Special Clinical Focus

Surgical treatment for benign and malignant tumours of the spinal column and the nerve structures

Revision procedures

Implantation of pumps for medication therapy in the region of the spinal cord. Implantation of electrodes in the region of the spinal cord or nerves for pain therapy (SCS, DRG, Burst)

Second opinion

About us

Dr Carsten Schneekloth is a specialist neurosurgeon, an independent neurosurgeon in Paderborn and the Senior Consultant of the Spinal Surgery Clinic at the St Josef Brothers Hospital in Paderborn and at the Marien Hospital in Marsberg. Dr Schneekloth works at the Medical Association of Westphalia-Lippe as a consultant in questions of medical liability. Patients are comprehensively and competently cared for in the Spinal Surgery Clinic at the St Josef Brothers Hospital in Paderborn, from the first consultation to the follow-up care. The hospital’s range of treatment extends from diagnosis to conservative pain therapy for spinal conditions, through to the surgical treatment of all clinical pictures within the specialist field, with the exception of juvenile scoliosis. Comprehensive consultations, in which the spinal specialists under Dr Schneekloth will answer all the patient’s questions, take place before scheduled surgical procedures. The clinic’s technical equipment is stat-of-the-art; together with high-performance surgical microscopes, an intra-operative 3-D image converter, intra-operative neuromonitoring and other supporting technology, the clinic has had a navigation robot for the placement of surgical screws for spondylolistheses and spinal fractures available for over a year.

The innovative Renaissance™ miniature robot system provides support in spinal procedures, but does not perform these itself. Each procedure is planned beforehand, with the aid of three-dimensional planning software, based on computed tomography (CT) images. The individual vertebrae are shown three-dimensionally in high resolution on the screen prior to the procedure. Anatomical challenges can thus be recognised and allowed for beforehand. The implants required can also be precisely co-ordinated with patient’s anatomical conditions. In addition, the movement control during the procedure is precisely determined beforehand on the computer. The miniature robot is attached to the patient’s spinal column immediately prior to commencing the procedure. During the procedure, the device provides the surgeon with a physical guidance aid, while the surgeon himself performs the procedure. Thus, the surgeon’s placement of the screws is highly precise. The radiation exposure due to increased X-ray exposure during the procedure can thus also be reduced.

The robot is also used, for example, in the treatment of spinal canal stenosis in spondylolisthesis or spinal fractures and is one of the currently highest technical standards in spinal surgery. The Spinal Surgery Clinic at the St Josef Brothers Hospital in Paderborn is one of currently only four clinics across Germany, in which this robot system is available.